Looking out, I noticed the pool looked odd this morning, went out (7:40AM, presently 30°F)...
A thin skim of ice on the eastern half! ...Jim Thompson
-- | James E.Thompson, CTO | mens | | Analog Innovations, Inc. | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | | | Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat | | E-mail Icon at
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| 1962 | I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.
"Jim Thompson" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...
I heard that they had significant ice storms in Texas that brought down power transmission lines. There was one account that South Texas was getting electric power from Mexico till the lines were fixed. Oppie
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| James E.Thompson, CTO | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | |
| Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |
Remember: Once you go over the hill, you pick up speed
Yeah, the whole rolling blackouts and power from Mexico thing is becoming a scandal because there were a large, currently unexplained, number of generating plants down state wide.
Some were understandable as 'winter', no matter how cold, is not peak demand (summer is) so plant maintenance is often scheduled during this period. Although, one could imagine warnings of unusual weather conditions might alter that otherwise 'normal' schedule. 12,000 mw was down due to scheduled maintenance.
50 out of Texas? 550 power plants, totaling 8,000mw went down allegedly due to 'weather' but sources only 'explain' 2 coal fired plants supposedly 'causing' the problem by going down due to burst pipes with the gas fired plants that should have come up to cover the loss failing to start. That leaved 46 plant failures unexplained.
From what I gather many of the failures were due to instrumentation freezing up and you can't operate if the control system is compromised (instrumentation failure may be the 'actual' cause of the above mentioned coal plant downing rather than the oft reported 'burst pipes'). Second, some gas fired plants suffered from low supply pressure because while winter does not peak electricity usage in Texas it does natural gas as most homes are gas heated.
In addition, our 'nation leading' wind power 'green energy' system doesn't work real damn well in the cold with little to no wind and our typically rare 'blue norther' usually begins with a windy front followed by cold stagnation.
Believe it or not but Houston, sprawling across the refinery capital of the world Pasadena, gets 34% of it's electrical power from wind and Dallas gets 40%.
It's not just power either as everyone seems to have been caught off guard or their 'plans' foiled due to circumstances with rain and freezing rain preceding the 'cold spell' thwarting 'preparations'. As of 11:00AM Houston traffic reports stated the I-45 primary downtown corridor was completely stalled and the cars stuck there had been since 5:00AM. I hope the guys in electrics had charged up enough juice to run their heaters for 6 hours.
I've heard the Romans and Arabs used to make ice by exposing water to the desert sky at night, covering it in the day. After a few days' cycling it had radiated enough heat into the clear desert sky to freeze. Doesn't work in areas where there are clouds at night.
Hey, better be nice to Mexico, and Canada too, because after Obama and his companion progressive/socialist loons in Congress get finished decimating every economically viable energy source in this country we'll be begging them both for power.
We may have a better chance with Mexico since 2/3's of their population will be up here by then and we can appeal on the grounds of servicing their own nationals.
Earth gives off heat at night. Clouds reflect the heat back so it will not cool down as fast. Clear skies allow the earth to radiate its heat more readily.
Desert nights can get exceedingly cold with their cloudless skies. (this according to an Egyptian friend and neighbor).
"Jim Thompson" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...
I was out last nite and seen a sheen on the snow in front of the house. Rain saturated snow, now frozen. Stepped on top and walked around on 3' of snow. The last winter that was like this was many moons ago.
In 1969/1970 (or so), I was stationed at Shaw AFB, SC, near Sumter, which the locals call "Scumter," about 50 mi. east of Columbia. We got TWO INCHES of snow, and the whole state was virtually paralyzed. The other guys in the shop mentioned all the cars in the ditch. Evidently, SCians dosn't have much experience driving in snow.
I grew up in Minnesota, and I've had a front-wheel drive car; I laugh at
6" of snow[1], unless, of course, it's on top of an inch of black ice, and the road slopes downhill. =:-O
Cheers! Rich
[1] Shoveling out from under 2' of snow, however, is no laughing matter.
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